Mike's Journey
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Mike has a lesson to learn, and he's going to go a long way to do it!  Slight re-imagining of "Forest for the Trees"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Like many others, I am publishing this story under Sentai, since the PR category is still currently plagued by the dreaded "Error 2". It is, in fact, a PR Samurai fic.

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, characters, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights should be presumed to be purely the creation of the author.

**Rating: **T – may be mild adult themes, language and violence.

**Timeline: **VERY loosely based on the events of Forest for the Trees. It is inspired by the episode, and there may be some crossovers, but on the whole, expect there to be changes.

Emily was sitting in the main room of the academy as the others performed their morning rituals. She had gotten up a little earlier than usual, unable to sleep as a result of recent events. Things had gotten a little more subdued than usual in recent days as a result of what had happened with Metatone.

Kevin had been working hard, helping those he had hurt to recover and helping out with the chores. Nobody blamed him for what he had done, they all knew that Metatone had him under a spell. It could just as easily have been Mia that had been put under his control, but that didn't seem to stop him blaming himself. They had all kind of informally decided to just let it run its course. He would get over it in time. Nothing they could say would get him through it any quicker. He needed to settle it himself.

Mia and Jayden had also been noticeably more subdued. Sharing a room with her, Emily was close to Mia, and had talked to her many times any time she was upset, and so she had no second thoughts about letting her talk to her about her own difficulties. Mia had told her about what had happened, or more accurately hadn't happened between the Red and Pink Rangers. Mia still felt a little foolish for building up a relationship that didn't exist in her head, and was just trying to get through the embarrassing period of having to be around Jayden and see him each day until it passed. Jayden had never been particularly talkative, but his interactions with her had noticeably changed, so it seemed he was going through something similar, even if he was going through it from a different perspective, since he had never had those feelings for her.

She had something occupying her mind though, something she knew they had already discussed, but it kept playing on her mind anyway. She sat, staring at a piece of paper, and on the face staring back at her from it. It was a sketch of the stranger who had turned up during Jayden's battle with Kevin.

He was an older man, not Mentor Ji old, but certainly older than the Rangers, somewhere in between. He had long, dark hair, and a dark beard and moustache. He was swathed in white, flowing robes, with dark clothing underneath, and worn, black leather boots.

Mentor Ji had spent some time with Mike, Mia and Emily, listening to their descriptions as they told him about what had happened, and more importantly about the mysterious stranger. He had made a sketch of him from their descriptions, hoping that the scrolls would herald some answers as to who he was, but so far he had found nothing.

She couldn't help staring at his eyes, they were dark, and intense, with a predatory edge to them. As he watched the battle, she could remember his gaze never shifted from them for a moment. Far from seeming to be frightened or confused about the scene, he had managed to give them a detailed account of what was happening on the building site. Indeed, he gave them a remarkably detailed assessment of the battle, indicating he knew far more than he was letting on, and making her suspect that the canvas roll he was carrying contained a weapon of some description.

She almost jumped, but quickly relaxed as a familiar, warm arm snaked its way around her shoulders, pulling her back into his chest. Mike kissed her softly on her cheek, before taking the drawing from her.

"Are you still worried about this guy?" He asked her. She just nodded.

"I just can't help feeling like he was up to something." She told him. "I mean, don't you think it was odd he seemed to know what was going on?"

"Emily, we're on the news all the time." He reminded her. "I've got at least four Facebook fan pages dedicated to me. Everyone knows the Rangers..."

"But we weren't morphed!" Emily reminded him.

"He probably just thought we were there to watch too." Mike told her reassuringly, taking the drawing away from her as he held her warmly. "Look, I'll admit, the guy was kind of weird, but maybe you're just reading too much into this..."

"He just disappeared Mike." She told him. "What was he there for? Where did he go? Why was he watching us?"

"I get it, it's kind of weird, but if he was going to make a move, he would have done it by now." He told her. "You want to know my theory?"

"You have a theory?" Emily asked him. It was comforting to know that he had been thinking about it, and she wasn't the only one obsessing about the stranger.

"I think Mentor Ji knows a lot more than he's letting on." Mike told her. "Remember Kevin told us about that fisherman who just happened to be on the beach when he was trying to get the Swordfish Zord? What was he doing there?"

"Fishing?" She asked him a little sarcastically.

"And yet, he watches Kevin catch a one hundred foot, three ton robotic swordfish and there isn't a word about it on any website, magazine or supermarket tabloid?" He asked her. "Just think about all the information Mentor Ji gets. Just think about all those gap sensors that are all over the city. Who do you think put them up?"

Emily wanted to answer, but she found herself just wondering what Mike was getting at.

"I think Mentor Ji isn't as isolated as he makes out." Mike told her. "I think he has agents of his own keeping an eye out on the city. Maybe this guy's one of those agents and he just doesn't want us to know yet."

"So he's got people watching us all the time?" She asked him a little nervously. "Yeah, that's so much less creepy."

Just then, Kevin, Jayden and Mia came in and sat down with them. Emily moved to her own seat opposite Mike as they arrived, all taking a seat.

"What's going on?" Emily asked them.

"Mentor Ji wanted to talk to us about something." Jayden told them. "He said we were all to meet him in here."

"Speak of the Devil." Mike commented as Mentor Ji arrived, carrying one of his books. He smiled as he put a box down on the table, opening it to reveal the three power disks.

"Rangers, I have exciting news about our progress." He told them. "Now we have three of the missing power disks, we have a new power at our disposal."

Jayden leaned forward, leaning towards the table.

"Beetle, Swordfish, Tiger." He began, pointing to each of the disks in turn. "Together, these three disks allow us to form the Samurai Battle Wing."

As he looked to Mentor Ji, he opened the book showing them an illustration of a new zord configuration, utilising the three new zords.

"Wow, that looks like one seriously badass bird." Mike said cheerfully as he let out a low whistle, clearly impressed.

"Yes, so each disk must go to the person ready to help pilot the zord." He told them.

Emily looked across and saw the look on Mike's face as a little smile started to cross his lips. She knew that he was self-conscious about the fact he was behind in his training, and that he had been working hard on his sword technique and his symbol power recently. He had told her in some of their few private moments that it occasionally got to him to see Kevin and Jayden with the new disks. It felt like he was constantly reminded that he wasn't good enough, and as Jayden got a second disk in the Tiger Disk, he felt like he would never catch up. She didn't need to hear him say it to know that he felt he was finally getting his shot. The new zord required three pilots, that meant someone needed to take one of the disks.

"I'm keeping the Tiger Zord." Jayden told them with a smile. "After being sacrificed by my predecessor, and what I went through to get him back, we have a connection."

"The Swordfish Zord, will go to Kevin." Mentor Ji announced as Jayden picked up the Swordfish Disk and handed it to him. "He caught it, and therefore has a connection to it."

"Thanks." Kevin said with a little smirk. They all saw that one coming, he had gone through so much to get it, they knew he had a connection. "We have a connection, but...I didn't catch it."

"I don't understand." Mia commented, looking confused.

"He chose me." He explained. "I tried every symbol I could think of. Capture, catch, lure, bait, reel...then I finally had a thought about it, and I tried another symbol."

He traced it on the table with his finger, and Mia smiled as she saw it. Kevin had already told Jayden the story.

"Please?" Mike asked, recognising the symbol. "That was what got you the Swordfish? You asked it?"

"I stopped trying to force it, and just asked for its help." Kevin replied. "It didn't want to be captured, it wanted to be an equal."

"That just leaves one more disk." Mentor Ji told them. Mike shifted a little more closely, and his smile broadened. Emily could see that he thought this was his moment. "We've decided that the Beetle Disk, should go to Mia."

"Me?" She asked as Jayden handed it over.

"We trust your control over your symbol power the most." Mentor Ji announced. Emily looked sympathetically towards Mike as she saw the look of disappointment on his face. She knew that he respected Mia, and truth be told, he would probably agree that she had the greatest mastery of symbol power. "And we know that you'll do the difficult work needed to master this disk."

Mike's knuckles cracked in frustration as they said this. Emily knew that Mentor Ji had expressed the opinion that Mike needed to work harder before. He had been working hard, in fact, he had been working on his symbol power between training sessions for weeks now. He had been working harder than any of them to catch up. She could tell that he probably took that remark from Mentor Ji as a shot against him.

"We're counting on you." Jayden told her. She just smiled in response.

"Thank you." She answered. "I won't let you down."

Mike just got up from the table and headed for his room.

"Mike, where are you going?" Kevin asked him.

"I'm going to train." He announced, walking from the room. Emily was about to go with him, but Mentor Ji held up a hand to stop her.

"He seemed upset about something." Mia commented, looking to the disk sadly. She held it up. "Was it because of this?"

"Whatever it is, he'll need to deal with it." Jayden told them, giving a knowing look to Mentor Ji. They had discussed the possible problems with Mike's attitude behind closed doors before. While they could understand his disappointment, the fact was they needed to be sure they could rely on whoever they gave the Beetle Disk to. Whether it hurt his feelings or not, the fact was right now, Mia was a much better choice.

Out in the yard, Mike took up his sword, beginning to work through his frustrations. He didn't need Mentor Ji's lectures or constant assertion that he wasn't working hard enough. The fact was, despite the opinion of the others, he had been working harder than any of them.

While he occasionally was late to practice, or had the occasional lapse of concentration, he regularly spent hours out on the yard or in the nearby woods by himself working on his technique. He had spent many nights in Emily's room, having her tutor him in the ways of his symbol power. He was doing everything he could to try and catch up to the others. He didn't understand why, it was just taking him longer to figure things out than the others.

He had let his sword lessons and his symbol power training lapse in his youth, his family was a little more liberal in their attitude to ensuring he trained than the others, but he felt like Mentor Ji didn't respect him or his talents at all. The fact was that there was a lot of things he did well. While he hadn't done much training with the sword, he had always kept up his hand-to-hand training, and indeed excelled at it.

Karate, judo, aikido, sumo, submissions...he had an impressive repertoire, one that had been tested more than a few times through a slightly turbulent childhood. Sometimes, his obsession with gaming took him to arcades in less than admirable areas in search of new games and new challenges. At least one Tekken tournament had ended up with him seeing far more action outside the arcade than inside it when one of his opponents took his loss badly. He just needed help with his other skills, help that at times he felt like he wasn't getting from Mentor Ji. Sometimes, it felt like he spent most of his time lecturing him and telling him he wasn't good enough than doing anything practical to help him.

As he exerted himself, he finally succumbed to exhaustion, collapsing to the floor. He just lay on the ground, closed his eyes, and felt his frustration building. He remembered all those times he had watched as they utilised the power disks, giving them incredible power. He watched them wield amazing abilities.

"I can't believe they didn't pick me." He thought to himself. "I guess I'll just have to train harder." He performed a kip up, flicking back to his feet and resumed his training.

Just then, he realised his Samuraizer was bleeping. He didn't know how long he had been out, but as he rolled to his feet, he saw the others rushing from the academy, and was grateful that he seemed to have been roused on the initial alarm. He didn't want to miss any opportunity to show the others that they had made a mistake about him. He wasn't the joke they believed him to be. They knew nothing about him, but he was determined to make them realise their mistake in the only way he had done his whole life. Mike didn't tell people how good he was. He showed them!


	2. Mike's Exile

The drive home from the battle was far from fun. There was no music, no talking, and certainly no laughter. This battle had not ended in victory, and as much as they weren't going into it right now, having agreed after some heated words were exchanged to deal with it at the academy, there was a definite atmosphere in the truck.

Mike sat in the back seat, staring out the window with a glum look on his face. He had screwed up in battle, he knew he had. It had been completely by chance that Mia was disarmed of the Beetle Disk, but when he recovered it, he had tried to use it himself. He still didn't understand why it hadn't worked; he had been studying symbol power tirelessly for ages. While he and Emily were still in the early stages of their relationship, she was still happy for him to spend a few hours a night away from prying, judgemental eyes with her, trying time and time again to master it to the same level the others had. He had the power; he just had trouble making it work for him.

Emily was holding his hand softly in a comforting gesture as she sat next to him. He appreciated that she was trying to make him feel better, but just one of the reasons he was looking out of the window was as a result of the Nighlock's counter. Since Mike couldn't use the power of the disk, and Kevin was covering the team by himself, he had an opportunity to fire a blast back at them. Although he knew Emily would never blame him, he couldn't look at her. Some nasty looking grazes across her right cheek and forehead as a result of hitting the ground unmorphed after the attack just reminded him of the cost of his actions painfully.

Jayden was sitting next to Emily in the back seat, and despite some rather noticeable injuries, the most noticeable of which was a spectacular black eye, was as silent and stoic as always. His reaction was the worst, Kevin and Mia had yelled at Mike, at least letting him have some measure of penance for his actions as a result of allowing them to vent their anger. Jayden though had picked up this habit from Mentor Ji, the "wait till father gets home" reaction as he had called it. He wouldn't just unload and scream at people when he was angry, he would leave it so he could think about it and form his answer over time. In the meantime, the person who had messed up had all the time to think about what had happened and worry about the results punishing themselves even before whatever measures were deemed necessary were taken.

Mia was sitting in the shotgun seat, the Beetle Disk in her hands. Just like Emily and Jayden, she had caught the harsh end of the blast. She had limped back to the truck on her own, despite Kevin trying to help her. She hadn't really yelled at Mike about him taking the disk, she had expressed her anger that he couldn't keep the team covered. He had let them down. Kevin had no such reservations though. It had taken Jayden intervening to stop things spilling into violence. Kevin was livid. If it hadn't been for Jayden, he was sure they'd probably still be at the battle site now, still going over his disastrous failure.

As they pulled into the driveway, Mentor Ji was waiting, and far from a simply disapproving look, the one Mike was so used to by now, this time he seemed to be as angry as Kevin. As they got out, he gestured inside.

"All of you, inside." He said a lot more abruptly than they were used to. Emily looked between him and Mike, feeling uneasy; while Mike was sure he knew what was coming and felt nothing but shame. As they all stood, Ji slammed the end of his cane into the floor. "NOW!"

They were all taken aback somewhat by the change in his tone. They had all seen him angry before, it was only natural that occasionally his patience would be tested with so many young people in his home at one time, but this was unlike anything they had ever seen. Dutifully they all filed in, finding seats around the room. As Mike was about to sit, Mentor Ji just snapped his cane down on the seat. Mike looked to him in shock and he just shook his head, gesturing to the mat in the middle of the room, surrounded by the others.

"Kneel." He barked. Mike just knew that arguing would only lead to a bigger fight, especially since Kevin already seemed ready to kick his ass over the result of the battle. Mike just went to the middle of the room and knelt down, his head hung in shame as he awaited judgement.

"What were you thinking?" He asked as he began pacing. "I thought you were finally ready to listen to me and learn, but when it matters you act like this?"

"Mentor..."

He silenced Emily with a hand as he continued to glare at Mike.

"Your selfish actions cost us the battle, and your behaviour has been unacceptable for some time." He ranted. "You have become a danger to the team!"

"Mentor!" Emily protested getting up. "He messed up..."

"I'll say he did!" Kevin snapped angrily. "We could have been killed! He acted out of line! Mentor Ji made his decision! He just felt his ego being bruised and acted out!"

"My ego?" Mike asked him. "Do you think this is what this is about? I've been working my ass off here!"

"It shows doesn't it?" Kevin said sarcastically.

"Enough!" Mentor Ji snapped, slamming his cane into the floor again. They all sat dutifully like children being scolded by their father. He held out a hand to Mike.

"Turn over your Samuraizer." He demanded. Mike just got up, looking at him judgementally.

"You're benching me?" He asked.

"You have become a danger to the team." Mentor Ji told him. Mike just took out his Samuraizer, giving Emily a little look as he did so. She watched on, wide-eyed in horror as he handed it over.

"You don't know a thing about me." He responded. "I'm out of here."

"We're not finished!" Mentor Ji barked as he turned his back. Mike turned back and sighed.

"I'm tired of your lectures." He told him. "We both know you don't want me here..."

Mentor Ji just pulled an envelope and a piece of paper out of his robes and presented them to Mike.

"In the envelope is an open-ended Greyhound ticket." He told him. "The paper is a meeting place for a good friend of mine. Someone I feel can teach you."

"But..."

"The ticket is open; you can use it to go to that address and to come back." Mentor Ji interrupted him. "Or you can use it to go home. It's your choice. However, I warn you, until you have a letter written in my friend's hand, and bearing his personal seal, you are not welcome here."

He pointed to the corner, where Mike noticed his back pack, which had obviously been packed for his journey. He snatched up the backpack and stormed out. Emily rushed forward, snatching the paperwork from Mentor Ji's hand.

"Em..."

"Let her go." Jayden cut off the Blue Ranger. "She'll do what she has to."

As Mike was about to leave the grounds, he heard a scuffling of the gravel path and turned to see Emily sprinting towards him. She presented him with the paperwork.

"You forgot these." She told him, fighting the tears.

"Who says I want them?" He asked her. "It's clear Mentor Ji hates me. He hasn't done a damn thing...!"

"Mike!" She cut him off as she tried to find the words. "You're angry and disappointed, I get it, but you can't just give up on this!"

"Why not?" He asked her.

"Because that's not the man I..." She paused as she thought about it, trying to compose herself. "That's not you. You never quit, no matter how long the odds are."

He put the backpack down and approached her, but she pulled away.

"Mike, you messed up, but I don't blame you. I know you; I know no one's punishing you more than you're punishing yourself." She told him. "Please, if you do this..."

"I can come back to have Mentor Ji look down his nose at me all day." He interrupted her. She shook her head.

"You can come back to me." She told him. Mike just moved closer.

"Emily, we can still..."

"Can we?" She asked him. "Mike, this is already hard enough. I'm already so far away from my family, and it's so hard..."

She approached him, taking his hand in hers.

"Look at me. You know what I told you. I promised I wouldn't cry anymore, I promised because of Serena that I wouldn't cry anymore, that I'd be strong." She told him, gesturing to some fresh tears. "I'm crying, breaking my promise because of you. If I can let go, maybe you can too."

She wiped away some tears as she composed herself.

"I'm not asking you to choose." She clarified. "But, I really don't see how it could work."

He took the paperwork from her and placed his hands on her hips, looking deeply into her eyes.

"I can't say I've never failed in my life, but I've never given up before." He told her, stroking back some of her hair. "I guess I can give this a try."

He reached behind her head, pulling her in for a long, slow kiss that made him feel a lot better about himself. He had failed the team once, but he wouldn't do so again.

"I guess the sooner I pass this, the sooner I can come back." He told her. She just nodded.

"Take care." She told him. With that, Mike picked up his back pack and walked away, making the long, lonely walk to the Greyhound station.

Meanwhile, from a vantage point a little way off, Dekker kept an eye on the scene unfolding. He just smiled as he saw the Yellow Ranger head back into the building and the Green Ranger head for the Greyhound station.

"Too easy." He commented as he pulled out his sword. He inspected the glowing blade, which burned with anticipation, knowing that its chosen opponent was close by.

"Patience Urumasa." He told it. "We have already found him. The greatest duel in the history of the world will soon take place. Now we just need to wait for the time and place."

Mike was shaken awake by the driver as the Greyhound reached its destination. He didn't really know why Mentor Ji had sent him out of town, but apparently, he had arrived.

He hefted his backpack onto his shoulder as he got off the bus, looking around. He had never been here before, indeed before Mentor Ji had called him, he had never left his hometown for more than a few days. He pulled out the paper and inspected it. He just stared at it, completely confused. Mentor Ji had described the meeting place as an address, but it didn't have a street name or anything, just some numbers and vague directions. It looked more like some form of co-ordinates.

He approached the tourist information desk, where a young, red-haired kid was watching Beavis and Butthead on the small television in the corner. Mike just coughed.

"Um...could you tell me where this is?" He asked. The kid looked at it and just shrugged.

"The maps are over there." He told him. Mike just took one and left, thinking that the term 'tourist information' was more than a little ironic in these circumstances.

A couple of hours later, Mike found himself far from the city, somewhere in the wilderness surrounding it. He had followed the map and the directions as best he could, but so far, all he had found was...

It was then that something donned on him. He was in the mountains surrounding the city, deep in a forest. His element was forest. He just sighed.

"I guess he just wanted me to..." His words tailed off as he saw something odd. A wooden practice sword was sticking in the ground, the hilt in the air. He approached it, inspecting it as he did so from a distance. It was unremarkable in and of itself, but he was miles from the city, miles from anything to be honest, and it looked to be polished and ready for action, indicating that it had not been there long, perhaps only placed there within the last few hours for him to find. There was a note pinned to its hilt. Mike looked around cautiously before approaching it. The note was written in Japanese.

"Only take this if you are serious." Mike read it aloud. He could only think about what Emily had told him. Mentor Ji had given him a chance, he had sent him to someone to get some lesson he needed to learn. The sooner he learned it, the sooner he could return to duty, and the sooner he could go back to her.

The thought occurred to him that Mentor Ji's patience had worn out with him. If he was sending him here, it seemed probable that the new mentor was a lot more hardcore than he was. Thinking about Emily, and the fact that it was likely they would go their separate ways if he failed, he made his decision and pulled out the training sword.

As soon as he had done so, he heard a savage yell, which he located several feet above him. A dark figure plummeted from the tree with a swing that was bound to split his head open. Mike managed to parry the blow, as he was dashed to the ground, unbalanced but uninjured.

"I guess you're Mentor Ji's friend." He commented. The man was clad entirely in black leather. He was holding a wooden sword, indicating that the strike was not meant to be lethal. He threw off his backpack as he confronted the man.

The stranger just rushed him, throwing forward several blows. Mike parried and defended himself as he fought desperately for balance. He was a strange opponent, his garb, flair for dramatics and his footwork all seemed Ninja in origin, but his sword work was amazingly similar to that of Jayden and Kevin. He recognised a lot of the techniques the opponent used, but it was interspersed with a differing technique. It was a hybrid form that threw him off balance.

It didn't matter though; the foe was highly skilled with a sword. Mike was sure he'd give Jayden and Kevin a good run for their money.

He locked blades with the opponent, but found himself on the receiving end of a sacrifice throw. Before he knew what was happening, his sword had been flicked from his grip several feet, and his opponent was standing over him. He raised the wooden sword overhead and brought it down, falling to his knees mounting Mike. He closed his eyes in preparation, but the strike never came. He could feel his hair parted though. He opened his eyes, finding the sword almost at skin-contact level with his face in a blow that would have been lethal, even with a training sword, a blow that would have threatened to split his head wide open.

The mystery man got off Mike and held his sword in his left hand, before offering him his right. Mike accepted it humbly, realising that this tutor had his number. He took a more detailed look at him.

He wasn't quite as tall as Mike, and a little smaller. His black leather garb was trimmed in green, and he had a symbol stitched into one of the shoulders. He pulled his hood off, revealing his face.

"It looks like Mentor Ji wasn't joking when he said you had a lot to learn." He sighed, offering a handshake. "I'm Cameron Watanabe. You can call me Cam."

"Mike." He replied, shaking his hand. "So, you're here to teach me?"

"I am." Cam told him, gesturing to a point a little way off with his sword. "You can pitch your tent there."

"How long is this going to take?" Mike asked him. Cam just smirked.

"That's up to you." He replied. "Tell me when you've set up your tent, and then we can begin again."


	3. Mike's New Mentor

Mike found, to his frustration, that he was dashed to the ground yet again. Cam's guard was seemingly impenetrable, and his technique far beyond anything he was used to.

"Get up." Cam barked with authority. He gestured to where Mike's wooden sword had landed a little way off. "NOW!"

Every muscle in his body felt like it was on fire. He and Cam had been training for hours, to the point that the sun had long since sunk below where the tree line. There was a part of him that wondered how Cam could keep going. He hadn't eaten as far as Mike had seen, and hadn't taken a break just like him. However, unlike Mike, he seemed as fresh as a daisy.

Mike rushed him, but once again Cam's technique was too much for him. Before he could figure out how it happened, he found himself on his back, and his sword several feet from his hand.

"That'll do for now." Cam said curtly, putting his training sword away in his belt. "Get something to eat and join me for dinner."

"Wait, get something to eat?" Mike asked. "You mean...?"

"I expect you back in an hour." Cam told him. "GO!"

Mike snatched up his shinai and left, feeling something he hadn't before. He was beginning to think he was going to miss Mentor Ji.

Over in the Academy, Emily was sitting, holding a bag of frozen peas to her elbow. She couldn't sleep as a result of her injuries. She didn't blame Mike f, r what had happened; she knew he was just trying his best.

She heard a shuffling and moved towards the door to hear better. She knew Mentor Ji had a habit of staying up after the others, but she wasn't used to anyone else being up at this time.

"Jayden." Mentor Ji breathed, seeing him. The Red Ranger just walked towards him.

"I didn't want to say this in front of the others." He began. "I think you may have over-reacted."

"Mike's actions could easily have cost you all your lives." Mentor Ji reminded him.

"That's true, but you know no one is punishing him more than he's beating himself up over this." Jayden told him. "Personally, I thought both of you were being a little childish."

Emily smiled as she heard this. She didn't really know much about Jayden, but then this was the first time she could remember him opposing him on one of his decisions. As much as she understood Mike being sent away for more training, she also thought that Mentor Ji was being short-sighted.

Mike wasn't on the same level as the others with a sword, or in symbol power, but it was something he was working hard on, harder than anyone gave him credit for.

One of the things she had learned about Mike in the short time they had been together was that he was quite self-conscious, and he progressed more when he didn't have judgemental eyes watching over him. One time, he had gotten a rose petal to form into a swan and kiss her hand affectionately. He had a lot of promise, and far more determination that was strictly speaking healthy. She had told him to go and see Mentor Ji's friend, knowing that he would come back eventually.

"You think I was childish?" Mentor Ji asked Jayden incredulously. He just nodded in response.

"A wise man once told me, if you push a door that's meant to be pulled, one of two things happens." He replied. "Either you never open the door..."

"Or you break it." Mentor Ji sighed. "I have over-reacted haven't I?"

Like I said, you're both more alike than you want to admit." Jayden answered. "I'm going to bed. Just...think about it."

Mentor Ji just headed to the kitchen to prepare himself some cocoa. Emily meanwhile just found herself unable to head back to bed as a result of what she had heard.

Mentor Ji admitted his actions were rash, she had heard it herself. She had no idea where Mike was or what he was doing. All she knew was that if Mentor Ji had sent him to the guy, then he was probably more hardcore than he was, and one time he had made them all do kata till they all passed out from heat stroke because they had been ten minutes late to practice.

She made her way out into the yard, taking out her cell phone. As she was scrolling through her address book, she was oblivious to the figure crawling across the roof behind her. As she found Mike's number, just before she could hit the dial button, it was smashed from her hand, and left in pieces on the grass. A hand clamped over her mouth, and a keen blade pressed against her throat.

"Take out your Samuraizer, and drop it." A deep voice rasped as the blade came in more tightly. "NOW!"

Emily had no idea what was going on, or who was doing this to her. All she knew was that the blade was close to her windpipe and her jugular veins. It would take less than a hiccup for him to inflict a lethal wound. She just dutifully took out her Samuraizer, holding it in her thumb and fore finger, and dropped it into the grass at arms' length. Just as the blade was removed from her throat, she felt a harsh blow to the back of her head. Everything faded to black.

Over in Blue Bay Harbour, Cam and Mike were eating. More accurately, Cam was eating. Mike didn't know how to describe what he was doing, he was subsisting on berries and leaves he had found. He had cornered a rabbit, but when it stared up at him with bug, brown, pleading eyes, it reminded him too much of Emily, and he couldn't bring himself to use his wooden training sword to smash its head in. He had let it go, a decision that felt right at the time, but he was beginning to think he would regret since now he was hungry, and by the looks of things, Cam had no intention of taking him into town for pizza.

"What does it mean?" Cam asked as he took a bite of rabbit. Clearly he didn't have the same reservations Mike had about putting down forest vermin and making them into dinner.

"I don't understand." Mike replied honestly. Cam just waved around a leg bone.

"This, the forest." Cam clarified. "What does it mean to you?"

"My element is forest." Mike replied with a shrug.

"You have to look deeper than that." Cam replied, turning to face him. "The reason you couldn't use that power disc isn't because you lack symbol power, it's because you don't understand it."

"Mentor Ji keeps saying that, but he's never explained it to me." Mike told him. "I know I've messed up, I know I should have trained more, but..."

"All the training in the world doesn't matter if you don't have the heart to back it up." Cam told him. "Of course as Lewis vs Tyson showed us, a guy that only brings heart to a fight is just looking for an ass kicking."

"Would all of you quit all this Sun Tzu, Confucius cryptic crap and just tell me what I'm meant to learn?" Mike snapped. Cam just shook his head.

"You aren't here for you are you?" He asked in response.

"I'm here..."

"What's her name?" Cam asked him. Mike just sighed and put down his plate.

"Emily." He replied.

"For me, it was Tori." Cam replied. "I'd have done anything for her, but in the end, she chose someone else."

"If that's your idea of a pep talk..."

"All I'm saying is, having someone to fight for is a great thing." He said, interrupting Mike. "Our Red, Shane, had three broken ribs the day he got his Battlizer, but he kept going. Dustin had a concussion the day he beat Weevil. The body has limits, but the heart doesn't."

He looked to Mike and smiled.

"What would you do for her?" He asked.

"Anything." He replied.

"I hope for your sake that's true." Cam replied as he took a swing, connecting with the side of Mike's skull with his wooden sword, splitting open the skin. Mike only just managed to roll away, taking enough of the venom out of the blow that the experienced Samurai didn't fracture his skull. He cast up some leaves to distract Cam while he snatched up his own sword. The next bout had just begin!

Emily came to, finding herself in a clearing with a warm fire burning a little way from her. Her head still ached from the blow that had knocked her unconscious. As she was about to get up, she noticed that her hands were tied together in front of her body.

"Your Samuraizer is back at the academy." A deep, familiar voice told her. "Don't bother looking for it."

Emily felt a pair of strong hands hooking under her armpits and felt herself being lifted up. She was plomped rather unceremoniously on a log. As her captor came round to where she could see him, she recognised him.

"You." She replied. "You were the one that watched Ja...um...the Red and Blue..."

"I know who you all are, such pretences are meaningless." Dekker told her. "If I wanted, I could easily come for your families."

"Why am I here?" She asked him.

"I am preparing myself for the greatest duel in history." He announced as he sat opposite her. He put down the baggage roll he was carrying and unravelled it, revealing a katana. Emily had a feeling he was packing a weapon of some kind when she had seen him the last time, but now he had confirmed it. He picked it up.

"This is Urumasa." He told her. "We have felled some of the greatest warriors in history together. It aches, it hungers for a new challenge. We have found it."

"So...what? I'm it?" She asked him. Dekker just chuckled and shook his head.

"Know your enemy." He replied.

"Sun Tzu." She said in response as she tried to work her wrists free to no avail. He had bound her hands too tightly.

"I am sure your mentor taught you that..."

"I read 'The Art of War' six times before I left Grade School." She told him. "The Samurai thing is a family legacy."

"Ah, so you are the eldest child?" He asked her. Emily didn't answer. She didn't want to put her family in danger, least of all Serena. While she was healthy, she was a phenomenal warrior, far better than Emily could ever hope to be, but plagued by illness the way she was, she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

"You may speak." He told her. "Urumasa craves challenging foes. We have no interest in meaningless slaughter."

"I'm the oldest." She told him. Dekker just set his katana aside.

"Has anyone told you that you're a hopeless liar?" He asked her. Emily just sighed.

"I get told that all the time." She replied. "Look, if you're going to kill me..."

"Who said I have any intention of doing that?" He asked her. "I just wanted to talk."

"I might be new to the whole dating thing, but even I don't think knocking a girl out, tying her up and dragging her to the middle of nowhere is the best approach." She told him.

"You misunderstand. I have no interest in you." He answered with a wry smirk. "I simply want to ask about the warrior in red."

"Jayden?" She asked, before she could think about it. "Um...I mean..."

"I already know who you all are." He assured her. "You may use their names freely."

"So...the Pink Ranger..."

"Her name is Mia." He told her. Emily now knew he was telling the truth. He knew all about them.

"I won't tell you..."

"Your loyalty is admirable Yellow Ranger." Dekker told her. "I fear it is just a shame that things couldn't be different."

Emily renewed her struggle to free herself of her bonds as she saw Dekker reach for his katana. Once more, everything faded to black.

The sun had long since set as Mike hit the ground for seemingly the thousandth time. Cam was a far superior swordsman. Every time Mike thought he found a chink in his guard, he found himself being smacked in the face, or dumped on his butt.

The last time, he had locked blades with Cam, only to be sent to the ground by a savage head butt. It was something he hadn't been counting on; he had been sent to learn about swordsmanship and symbol power. He hadn't expected to end up in a street fight.

It was then that something fell into place for him. The forest was ancient, wild and free. At its core was life, the creation and generation of life. A tree didn't grow straight up; it would grow the way it needed to. He had seen grass grow through concrete. The forest would always find a way, even if it wasn't the way it was intended to grow.

He ran forward, smashing Cam's sword aside, before hooking his arm and cinching it up his back. Standing in front of Cam, tugging on the Kimura lock as hard as he could, he fell onto his back, dragging Cam down on top of him. He grape vined his legs around Cam as he increased the pressure on the hold. He had been an accomplished martial artist for much of his life, and he had, through some less than wise decisions, ended up using his skills several times. It was no surprise when even a foe as accomplished as Cam tapped out.

He released the hold, and rolled back onto his feet, facing Cam who was holding his left arm limply. Mike knew it wasn't broken, but he was sure it would be as sore as hell given how hard he had pulled on it. He could have torn out Cam's shoulder and his elbow if he wanted, but that wasn't his intention.

"You beat me." Cam told him. "Not with a sword..."

"I guess that means..."

Cam just shook his head and reached inside his jacket, pulling out a letter with a red wax seal.

"Give this to Mentor Ji." He told him. "You've learned what you need to."

Mike took the letter with a smile, before picking up his backpack and running off. Cam just laughed as he watched him go.

"She must be an amazing girl." He commented.


	4. The Lessons Learned

Mia was sitting in the kitchen, having just served up some breakfast for her and the others. She sighed as she looked around.

"Does anyone know where Emily is?" She asked them. Kevin just shrugged.

"I haven't seen her." He admitted. "I guess she just wants some time by herself."

"Yeah, she was really upset about Mike leaving." Mia recalled, taking a seat and beginning to play with her oatmeal. "I still can't believe Mentor Ji sent him away."

"I can't believe Mike questioned him like that." Kevin answered, looking to her seriously. "He messed up..."

"But was lecturing him and sending him away really the best way to deal with it?" Mia asked him. "He was really upset about the Beetle Disk. I get the feeling he wanted it really badly. I almost feel bad for taking it from him."

Just then, the Gap Sensor's alarm sounded, informing them that the Nighlock had returned. Mia, Kevin and Jayden's Samuraizers all bleeped.

"It looks like we have work to do." He announced as they got up from the table.

"So much for breakfast." Kevin groaned, shoving his bowl away, knowing that by the time they got back, it would be a soggy mess with no crunch left. It was far from the first time that meals had been interrupted by Nighlock battles, and as much as he never complained, the fact was microwaved leftovers and soggy oatmeal just weren't as good as freshly prepared food.

"Wait, what about Emily?" Mia asked them.

"Her Samuraizer will contact her." Jayden told them. "She'll have to meet us out there."

"I fear that may be a problem." Mentor Ji interrupted them, walking into the room and presenting a Samuraizer to the Red Ranger. He had to presume it was Emily's since Mentor Ji still had Mike's.

"She left?" Kevin asked. "You don't think she...?"

"Emily would never do that, no matter how upset she was." Mia cut him off before Kevin could ask. She would never allow anyone to suggest that of her room-mate. Emily was self-conscious, sure, but she was no coward. She would never abandon her duty.

"I found it on the grass outside when I went to meditate." Mentor Ji told them. "There was also some blood..."

"Then wherever she went, she didn't go by choice." Jayden surmised.

The alarm sounded again, reminding them of the battle going on in the city. Jayden looked up to the flashing light and sighed.

"We need to find Emily..."

"It'll have to wait." Jayden replied. "That Nighlock isn't going to wait."

"But, without Emily or Mike, what are we meant to do?" Kevin asked him. "Unless you forgot, the megazord will kind of be missing an arm and a leg."

"We still have Mike's bear zord." Jayden reminded them. "We'll have to make do as best we can without Emily. Worst case scenario, I guess we get a crash course in using the new Battle Wing."

"Why did you have to mention crashing?" Mia muttered as they ran from the room, reluctantly going to face the Nighlock with only half a team.

Emily came to yet again, finding herself still tied up. Her hands were bound tightly in front of her body, the other end tied around a tree. She held her hands to the side of her head, which was throbbing as a result of her captor's attacks.

As she looked around, she noticed the smell of a campfire, and saw that one was lit a little way from her in a pit lined with stones. If the fire was still lit, then it seemed natural to presume that he was somewhere nearby.

She noticed a stream a little way from her, and saw sunlight glistening off it. She had been gone overnight. She was sure by now her friends had to notice she was missing.

It was then that she saw him, by the edge of the stream, performing a sword kata. Stripped to the waist, she could see his impressive, toned physique, clearly forged through years of combat training. Living in such close quarters with the guys, she knew that they were all in great shape, but this was something else. Every muscle was taught, and defined. Many scars etched into his torso stood as further testament to his the fact that his form had been gained in combat as opposed to in a gym.

She recognised some of what he was doing as he swung his red and white serrated blade in precise arcs, cleaving the air with precision, but he clearly knew a lot more than she had been taught. She could see that his technique was as flawless as Kevin's and his intensity and will were as strong as Jayden's by the way he threw himself into his routine. He had taken her prisoner easily, and she was not keen on the idea of facing him alone. He wanted to fight Jayden, and by the looks of things, she wasn't sure if it wouldn't be more of a match than she would have thought.

She reached inside her blouse, pulling out her Ape Folding Zord, activating it. She set it down on the ground, and held her hands to it. The stranger was so caught up in his practice he never noticed her setting it to the task of working against her bonds.

She grimaced as the Zord's tiny claws sliced into the ropes, scratching her a little as it did so. The ropes were tied far too tightly for her to try and just work them free. As the last strand finally burst, she quickly unravelled the ropes and tossed them aside. Just as she was about to leave, taking the opportunity to sneak away, the blade of the sword appeared over her shoulder, the edge resting against her cheek.

"It's not polite to leave without saying goodbye." He told her. "Especially since I'm making breakfast."

Emily stood stock still as she looked at the blade in terror. He moved closer, giving her a little smile. "Perhaps we can talk some more...aaargh!"

He let out a scream as the Ape Folding Zord hooked into his ankle with its claws. Emily took the moment's distraction as the sword dropped from the side of her face to smash him in the face with her elbow. Dekker staggered away, dropping Urumasa as the Ape Zord leapt onto his hand, burying its claws into the back of it. Emily reached down, snatching up the blade, but let out a howl of agony and threw it aside. The handle increased in temperature dramatically at her touch, burning her painfully. She held her hands in pain as she glared at Dekker.

"Urumasa is no ordinary sword." Dekker told her as he ripped the Ape Folding Zord from the back of his hand, throwing it to the ground. "It is a jealous being, with only one master."

Emily ran forward, throwing punches and kicks in Dekker's direction, but he dodged and blocked almost all of them. She managed to get in a couple of shots, staggering him, but nothing decisive. He finally managed to catch a kick, throwing her to the ground dismissively.

"You have spirit." He complimented her. "You have to know you can't possibly beat me, and yet you keep trying anyway."

Emily ran forward, but this time was caught on the receiving end of a hard kick to the stomach, before Dekker pulled her in, holding her against him as a strong arm wrapped around her throat, squeezing hard.

"Do you yield?" He asked her. "I could snap your neck, you know I could."

Emily struggled a little, but feeling her strength leaving her, she reluctantly nodded. Dekker just shoved her to the ground, before picking up Urumasa.

"Your friends are battling the Nighlock from the other day as we speak." He informed her, pointing East. "They are about three miles in that direction."

"I don't understand." She replied. "You're letting me go?"

"Lord Xandred's war is none of my concern." He told her. "All I live for is finding challenging opponents."

That comment stung a little. She knew he was fixated on Jayden, but there was a subtle undertone to what he had said. He was looking for challenging opponents. He was letting her go because she was beneath him, not worthy of finishing off.

"The curse of immortality has led to me facing some of the greatest warriors in history, and all have fallen to Urumasa." He told her. "Tell the Red Ranger that we will meet someday soon for the greatest duel in history. I am simply to pick the time and place."

"Why?" Emily asked him.

"What is the point of living forever if not to test oneself?" He asked her. "I want him to prepare himself. I wish to have the greatest duel of all time. Go and tell him that I'll be waiting."

Emily got up and ran off, snatching up the Ape Folding Zord as she went.

On the Greyhound, on the freeway back into town, Mike was taking a nap, but was interrupted as he heard a few horns blaring. As he looked around, he realised that the traffic was locked up, and the coach wasn't going anywhere.

"Perfect." He muttered, frustrated by the fact that he was going to be delayed in returning to the academy. He was keenly aware of the fact that the Nighlock was still on the loose as a result of him failing to utilise the Beetle Disk. He hadn't known what to expect when he was sent away to train under Cam, but he was keenly aware of the fact that even though he had gotten through it a lot more quickly than he had expected, he had still been gone just short of two days.

He then heard something nearby. One of the other passengers had a portable TV with her.

"All roads into the city have been closed as a result of yet another monster attack!" The news announcer stated over the broadcast. "What you're seeing is a live feed from the site of the battle, where the Power Rangers are doing battle. However, it seems they are short-handed."

Mike knew what they meant, he wasn't there. He was stuck on this coach.

"Only three of the Rangers have shown up to the battle." The reporter continued. Mike just got up and rushed over, snatching the TV.

"Hey!" The woman protested. Mike just ignored her complaint though; he wanted to know what they meant. As he observed the battle, he noticed that only Kevin, Mia and Jayden were there. Emily was missing. He handed the TV back to the annoyed woman and grabbed his bag from the overhead container, before activating the emergency exit at the back and rushing out across the freeway, weaving in and out of traffic.

"Hey, you can't just get off here!" The driver screamed out the window. He shook his head in disbelief. "Kids today, they're always in such a rush to get everywhere."

He closed the door before heading back to the drivers' seat, taking a deep breath. "Anyone would think it was life or death or something."

Over at the battle site, the Nighlock was keeping the remaining three Rangers busy with his attacks. Their suits protected them from the debilitating misery caused by his rain attacks, but that didn't mean that they were any less devastating.

He raised high into the air, flying high above them. Kevin called out his Hydro Bow, realising that right now, he was the only one who could reach him. Jayden and Mia were still recovering on the ground from an attack.

As he fired a volley of energy arrows from the Swordfish Disk, he cursed the Nighlock for his agility as he missed with all of them. He too ended up on the ground as a result of the Nighlock's counter.

"What more can we do?" Mia shrieked.

"We have to keep trying." Jayden replied, trying to get up, only to falter.

"Maybe I can help with that!" Mike announced as he ran onto the scene. He is chest burned from the long run from the coach, but he had to keep going. Jayden reached to his belt, grabbing Mike's Samuraizer.

"Here!" He called out, throwing it into the air. Mike caught it, and activated it, morphing as he went. He called out his Forest Spear, continuing to run.

"You must be joking!" The Nighlock shrieked in laughter. "You'll never be able to reach me up here with that toothpick!"

Mike remembered the lesson Cam had taught him. The Forest found a way to grow and survive, regardless of what challenges faced it. The Forest was the very epitome of life, growing around or through any obstacle in its way, finding ways to adapt. The Nighlock had made a grave error in underestimating him. He rammed the tip of the spear into the ground, catapulting himself into the air. He converted it back into his spin sword, activating the green disk.

"Leaf storm!" He called out, blasting the Nighlock and sending him tumbling from the air. As he landed, he exploded, ending his first life. Mike landed back on the ground, turning to face the others as they got back up, coming to greet him.

"You're back!" Mia called out.

"You totally bushwhacked him." Kevin complimented him.

"I caught him by surprise." Mike replied. "When you take on the forest, you need to keep on your toes."

Just then, Emily arrived, completely out of breath, and looking more than a little dishevelled as a result of her captivity. She doubled over to catch her breath as the others came over to check on her.

"Emily, where were you?" Mike asked, holding her tightly. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later." She told them, taking her Samuraizer from Jayden. "It looks like its round 2."

Forming into the Megazord as the Nighlock grew to massive size, the Rangers noticed that the umbrella that allowed him to fly had also regenerated.

"It's only a matter of time before he takes flight again." Jayden told them. "It looks like we're going to have to bust out the new hardware sooner than expected."

"Just a minute." Mia sighed, taking out the Beetle Disk. She looked to it for a moment. She loved knowing that Mentor Ji had so much faith in her, granting her the Beetle Disk and trusting her with the newest weapon. However, she had seen Mike's mastery over his symbol power for herself. He might not be the most powerful, but he had come a long way, and he had a creativity and lateral thinking that she didn't. She admired him for that. She presented it to him. "Here Mike, you take it."

"Mia?" He asked her.

"I've seen your symbol power first hand." She told him. "You'd make better use of it than I would."

"Are you sure?" He asked. She just nodded.

"I agree." Jayden said, smiling a little. He was proud of Mike for coming through his challenge, but also of Mia. He knew her well enough to have an idea what she was thinking. Humility was an important trait, and Mia was always willing to put her own glory and prestige on hold.

"Emily and I will cover you while you get ready." She told them. "Go."

"Thanks Mia." Mike answered, taking the disk form her and mounting it on his control panel. "I won't let you down."

Later in the day, after destroying the Nighlock, the Rangers all returned to the Academy. Mentor Ji was standing, waiting on their return. Mike came before him, pulling out the scroll Cam had given him.

"Just like you asked." Mike told him. "It wasn't easy."

"Cam is a strong opponent." Mentor Ji agreed. "His mother went to the Wind Ninja academy many years ago to further her training. She was one of the greatest Samurai that ever lived."

"I can believe it." Mike agreed.

"So what did you learn?" Mentor Ji asked him. Mike took a deep breath.

"The Forest is the very essence of life." He told him. "It finds a way to grow, and to thrive, even if it isn't the way everyone wants it to."

He then turned to the others.

"I also learned that it doesn't do that on its own." He told them. He went to Mia. "It lives in balance with the air."

He went next to Kevin.

"It gains its life from water." He continued, before heading to Jayden. "It takes life from the heat of the sun."

Finally, he stood before Emily, and took her hands softly in his, looking into her eyes.

"And it gains its strength from the earth." He told her. He looked back to Mentor Ji. "What I did was selfish, and we can't afford that. It's a team effort."

"And with the team to support you, you'll get the strength you need." Mia assured him. "That's why I decided you were the best person to wield the Beetle Disk."

"It sounds like you learned a lot from Cam." Mentor Ji sighed, as he put his cane aside. "I must apologise too Mike."

"You?" Kevin asked. "Why?"

"Like you said, the Forest does not always grow the way we want. Sometimes it must find another way." He told him. "I should have started with you from basics, right at the beginning. I can see that now."

"But..."

"You can spend all day trying to push a door that's meant to be pulled." Mentor Ji interrupted him, giving a knowing glance to Jayden. "All that happens is you either never open the door, or you break it. Neither of which is useful."

"I guess I can live with that." Mike replied, offering his hand for a fist-bump. Mentor Ji accepted the peace offering with a smile.

"Now, we have another issue to discuss." Mentor Ji told them, turning to Emily. "What happened to you?"

"I was kidnapped." She told them, taking the sketch Mentor Ji had made of Dekker. "It was him."

"Our mystery man?" Mia asked her. She had gotten the first aid kit as she took the first opportunity to treat Emily's fresh injuries. She inspected the burns on her hands and rope burns on her wrists, getting some ointment.

"He wanted to talk to me." She told them. "He wanted information."

"What about?" Jayden asked her.

"You." She answered as Mia started to rub ointment into her burns. "He wanted me to tell him everything I could about you."

"Why?" Kevin asked her.

"He said he wants to fight you." Emily informed him. "I didn't tell him anything, I promise..."

"Wait, why did he want to fight Jayden?" Mike asked her.

"I don't know, I didn't really understand it. I was spending so much time trying to escape." She told them. "He kept saying something about wanting to face strong opponents, and wanting to have the greatest duel in history..."

Mike just held her as she tailed off. It was clear that whatever had happened to her, she had gone through a lot. It was hard to imagine what it was like for her.

"Did he hurt you?" Mike asked her. She shook her head.

"It's nothing serious. When I was trying to escape, he fought me." She told them. "He's good, seriously, scarily good. He could have taken me out if he wanted, but he just let me go. If he hadn't, I don't know what would have happened."

"He let you go?" Kevin asked her. She just nodded in response.

"What happened to your hands?" Mia asked her. "These burns look pretty sore."

"It was from his sword. I got a hold of it, but it burned me." She informed them. It jogged her memory of the fight as Mia bound her hand in bandages. "It was weird; he said something about it only having one master, like it burned me because I'm not the person meant to wield it."

"So it seems to have some kind of mystical qualities." Mentor Ji said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, it glowed, and it burned me when I tried to use it." She told them. "Also, he said something about being immortal."

"Immortal?" Mentor Ji asked her.

"Yeah, but the strange thing is he called it a curse." She informed them. "Also, he named the sword."

"That's a little scary serial killer." Mike commented.

"Actually at one time naming a sword was pretty common among Samurai." Mentor Ji told him. "It was a way of honouring the spirit of the sword."

"What did he call it?" Jayden asked her.

"I can't remember, it was something beginning with U." She told him. "Urasam...Umaras..."

"Perhaps it is a mystery for another time." Mentor Ji announced. "In the mean time, you've all had a hard day. I would suggest that perhaps we could all do with a rest."

"Well, my folks sent me some cash recently." Mike announced. "So, since I'm not broke, how about we all go do something?"

"Rainbow corners?" Emily asked hopefully. She had loved it the last time they went to the theme park. Jayden just shrugged.

"That sounds like a plan." He announced. As the others went to get changed and cleaned up, Jayden approached Mentor Ji.

"Is everything alright?" He asked his mentor.

"I'm not sure." He told the Red Ranger. "Go and have fun."

Jayden had a feeling that Mentor Ji wasn't telling him everything, but he had a feeling that if that wasn't the case, there was probably a good reason.

As he left to get ready, Mentor Ji thought hard about what he had heard. The curse of Immortality, the sword...from the sounds of what Emily had said, it was possible that The Cursed Warrior had returned. The legend of Urumasa had carved a bloody path across the pages of history. He hoped he was wrong, because if he wasn't, then Jayden was going to face the greatest test he would ever face.

Meanwhile, in her room, Emily was getting ready slowly, as she thought about what had happened. She still didn't know who the guy was, he had never even told her his name, but she couldn't help thinking about him. He had taken her with little effort, and in their battle, he had bested her with little effort.

She didn't know anything about him, or why in particular he wanted to harm Jayden. He was aware of Lord Xandred, he had told her that much, but then he had also said that he had no interest in his war. His agenda against Jayden was completely his own.

"Emily." Mike called her from the door. "We're about to go."

"I'm just coming." She told him, gathering up her jacket and throwing it on. As Mike put his arm around her, leading her from her room, she just hoped that the theme park was enough to take her mind off the mystery warrior. She was with Mike, the guy who made her heart skip a beat whenever he touched her, so why then was she only able to think about the man who had kidnapped her?

Fin.


End file.
